Character Analysis: Jesse: 5x16 Felina
by alluringwriter
Summary: Character analysis of Jesse in episode sixteen of season five, Felina.


**INCLUDES SPOILERS**

**Jesse —**

By now, Jesse starts to occupy himself with fantasies of early times to distract him from the more recent, horrifying ones.

And when they grab him up that night, Jesse doesn't know what's going on. Though he doesn't fight them; now he's become accustom to being jerked around. But still, what are they going to do? Where are they taking him? Are they going to finally kill him, or has something come up and he has to cook another batch?

He stumbles as he tried to keep up, the chains and shackles bringing him down.

When they take him to the main building, he's now very baffled. What's going on?

And when he steps inside and sees, it feels as if his breath is taken from him.

Mr. White. He's here, he's still alive. His appearance is much different, but not unlike the man Jesse once knew.

Walt's former partner only stares, paying no mind to the sneering comments Jack is making to Mr. White, as the two look each other over. The look in Mr. White's eyes seems... _sad_? Why? Surely not because of Jesse's condition; didn't the last time Walt see Jesse, he ordered him to be killed, right there in front of him?

Jesse's looking Walt over with a mix of emotions. He doesn't know whether to be furious, or to be sad, or confused... or to feel anything at all.

Then Walt tackles Jesse, who is taken completely by surprise. Walt still wants to hurt him? But why?

Walter doesn't make any further acts of violence, though, just flattens himself down on top of Jesse, spreading his arms over the man's smaller frame. Then it hits Jesse: _Mr. White is protecting him_.

From what comes all too clear when Walt raises up the keys and presses the button. Gunfire rains down onto Jack and his men.

And despite what has gone on between the two, Jesse finds himself shrinking down under Walt even more, finding he wants to be protected again after so long of being abused. In response, Mr. White does something similar by pressing down on him more, trying to protect him even more from the noises of war around them.

When it all seems to be over, Walt pulls himself off Jesse and moves over to the still living Jack.

Jesse looks around, still shocked, and grabs the keys from one of the bodies and lets himself out of his chains. He sees Todd still alive by the wall, and takes his chance.

The two gain their revenge at the same time, at the same place. It seems as though all is fulfilled.

When they get the jobs done, Jesse stands, facing Walt, but still across the room.

Jesse is now facing an internal battle. Part of him, the part that remembers everything Walt and him have been through together, the part that realizes how much Walt has helped him tonight, wants to run to him, wants to go into one of the two's usual hugs.

But a bigger part of him remembers what Walt has done; what he did to Brock, watching Jane die and not saving her, and his look towards the older man turns cold.

Walt sees this and slowly lowers the gun to the floor, sliding it too his former partner. Jesse, though surprised, quickly gets it and picks it up, not hesitating to raise it to Walt's level in a way that if he pulled the trigger, Walter White would die.

"Do it." Walt says in a soft voice, and Jesse is slightly taken by more surprise. When Jesse doesn't respond, he continues with a quiet, "You want this."

This strikes a nerve in Jesse, because _yes_, he does want this, but at the same time that small part of him that remembers doesn't want Mr. White to die.

"Say the words," Jesse says, trying to hold back his tears, "Say _you_ want this. Nothing happens until I hear you say it."

Now its time for Walt to be slightly surprised, but still he doesn't hesitate as he rephrases, "I want this."

Jesse's finger twitches on the trigger, and he takes the time to look Walt over again. His mouth goes dry when he sees blood seeping through Mr. White's shirt, and he then knows that Walt was hit by his own weapon, and will die either way.

Swallowing hard, he forces out the cold words, "Then do it yourself." Before throwing the weapon down and leaving. He doesn't want anymore blood on his hands, and like he realized, Walt is going to die, anyway.

He steps out into the cold, ignoring what he'd just done and said. He finds a car and moves over to it, getting lucky enough that it's unlocked and there are keys in the dash.

Suddenly, he hears Walt talking on the phone and turns to see the older man stumbling outside. He lingers there still, though, contemplating saying something more to him before he goes. This _will_ be the last time he sees his former partner alive, after all.

But also, how do you say thank you to the man who caused this in the first place?

Instead, he just shares a long look with Walt before giving a slight nod and getting into the car, turning it on and pressing the gas peddle.

He breaks through the gates victoriously and drives off.

_He's finally free_.


End file.
